New copyright fees to go into effect May 1

April 29, 2014 | 10:25 am

I received an email from the Library of Congress last night informing me that copyright fees are going up May 1. The increase that caught my eye was the single work registration, which is going from $35 to $55. However, it looks like it won’t be affecting self-published authors. From the email:

For many registrations, the fees will rise from $35 to $55 per claim. However, after considering comments, the office will offer a reduced registration fee of $35 for single authors who file an online claim for a single work that is not a work made for hire.

The increased fees are intended to balance administrative costs, and the point was made that this was the first increase since 2009.

Some fees are actually going down. The fee for renewing copyright will go from $115 to $100.

I’d advise against going the paper registration route. That fee is going from $65 to $85, with no adjustment for single authors.

Just a quick reminder for authors. Registering your copyright is not required to protect your work. However, if you register within 90 days of publication, you are eligible for additional protections, such as recovering damages.